


One Night at Madame Christmas's

by Bay



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 16:44:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2628971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bay/pseuds/Bay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy takes Riza to meet his mother for the first time, only for the ladies to embarrass him soon after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Night at Madame Christmas's

**Author's Note:**

> This was written back in 2011 for the auction [help_japan](http://help-japan.livejournal.com/) over at LJ. My recipient cornerofmadness’s prompt was Roy and Riza meeting Madame Christmas for the first time. I usually don’t do Roy/Riza stories in which they’re seeing each other pre-series, but this is a fun little scenario to write. Takes place not long before Roy and Riza meet up with Ed and Al at Resembool. I guess this can be a follow-up to [We’re Fading Fast](http://archiveofourown.org/works/765261) (even though I wrote _One Night at Madame Christmas’s_ first :x)
> 
> Thanks to haganeneko for the great beta!

Over the many years Roy had known Riza, he never expected her to take so long to get ready.  
  
“Are you almost done?” he called out to her while putting on his tie.   
  
“Almost. I need to powder my nose real quick.”  
  
“Don’t take too long, then.” The man couldn’t help but chuckle. He finished knotting his tie and reached for his vest.  
  
It was a cool Saturday evening when they snatched a romantic weekend getaway for themselves in Central City. The military officers had reserved a hotel room and bought tickets for a classical music concert well in advance, so it was a date several weeks in the making. Now, a couple hours before the show, Roy was shrugging into his vest while Riza was holed up in the bathroom, putting on the last of her makeup. He had always assumed Riza wouldn’t be the type to take hours to get ready, but was quickly realizing that, for whatever reason, tonight was different. Roy found it rather cute that she was taking her time.   
  
  
Their hotel room contained a king size bed (which Roy had found out earlier was soft as a feather), and a polished desk with a matching chair against the opposite wall. Ornate lamps, one on the desk and one on the nightstand, gave the space a nice ambiance with the soft, warm light they cast. Roy’s favorite part of their accommodations was the breathtaking view of Central City’s downtown district through the only window. While it slightly annoyed Roy how much it cost to stay here, it was well worth it to have the time alone with the woman he loved.   
  
As Roy pulled on his suit jacket, Riza entered the room. He glanced at her dark red dress, sleeveless with a high collar that concealed her neck. The dress might be simple, but to him, she looked astonishing. Thoughts of slipping her out of it already formed in his mind, but he immediately dismissed them.   
  
“Hey, you think you can zip me up?”  
  
As soon as Riza turned around, Roy flinched. He caught sight of the tattoo on her back and the burnt marks that he had made. His heart sank.  
  
“Roy, are you all right?” she asked, concerned eyes watching him.   
  
That snapped back Roy to reality. He made himself smile and said, “Yes, I’m fine. And sure.”  
  
He walked over to Riza and, in a swift motion, pulled the zipper up. He then spun her around into his arms and held her tight, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.   
  
“I’m sorry,” Roy whispered. There was no doubt in his mind she knew what he meant.   
  
Riza drew a tiny smile at him. “You don’t have to apologize.” Her expression twisted to a frown. “I was the one that wanted you to do this. “   
  
They pressed their lips together for a long kiss. When they parted, Roy flashed her a silly grin.   
  
“We had better leave or else we’ll be late for the concert.”   
  
“And also late seeing your mother,” she replied back, smirking.   
  
A puzzled expression spread over Roy’s features. When had they agreed to that? He wouldn’t mind Riza meeting his mother, but it would be better if it had been planned out in advance.   
  
“Wait, what? You’re sure we talked about this?”   
  
Riza nodded. “Yep. You promised me the next time we went to Central, you would arrange for me to meet her. Besides, she sounds like an interesting person.”  
  
Oh,  _that promise_. He remembered now—after they had returned to East City after their last trip to Central, Roy had told her about his family’s history, all except for the line of work his mother had been involved in for most of her adult life. Riza then asked if he would take her to meet his mother when they visited the city again. He had almost forgotten about that.   
  
“You’re right, I did promise you,” Roy said with a defeated sigh. “Okay then, after the concert I’ll take you to meet her.”   
  
+++  
  
As expected, the concert lasted all of two hours. The orchestra played many classical pieces Roy recognized, and thought they executed them well. After the performance was over, he and Riza took a stroll downtown, where Madame Christmas’s bar was located.  
  
“Tonight’s concert was very nice,” Riza said, clinging tightly to Roy’s arm as she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
Roy kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you liked it. I thought it was quite wonderful, too.” He jerked his head to the right. “My mom’s place is this way.”  
  
They were silent most of the way, Roy enjoying the smell of clean shampoo on Riza’s hair as the spotlight of the full moon following them. He was a little nervous about Riza meeting his mother, but why should he be? There was nothing about her he was concerned about; Riza should be fine.   
  
Roy still couldn’t believe he and Riza were a couple now Their relationship started not long after he had appointed her as his assistant, when they confessed their love toward one another. Roy had been conflicted at first as to whether what they were doing was right, but being with Riza in this way was of the happiest moments of his life.   
  
It wasn’t long until he led them down an alley. There were many apartment buildings scattered around, most of them with darkened windows and looking as though they could use a bit of new paint. In the near distance, the screech of an upset cat and a barking dog could be heard. There were a few people out walking about, but for the most part the area was quiet. Roy looked down to see Riza’s shocked expression when she ever so slightly gripped his arm tighter.   
  
“Wait, where are we? I thought you said her place is downtown.”  
  
“It is, just hidden very well,” Roy said with an embarrassed laugh.   
  
Riza shot Roy a skeptical look—he wished he hadn’t glanced at her.   
  
They continued on, and, shortly, Roy halted and pointed to a building on their left.   
  
“Madame Christmas?” Riza said upon looking up at the sign, a disturbed look in her eyes. “Is this a  _brothel_?” she hissed. “You didn’t tell me your mom owns a brothel!”  
  
Roy grimaced. “What, no!” He let out a soft cough. “It’s actually a bar. I was practically raised here.”  
  
“Huh, I would never have thought someone like you could live here.” Roy thought he heard a quiet snort from her.   
  
“It’s not all that bad. I turned out fine in the end.”   
  
A calm expression washed over Riza’s face. “True,” she agreed before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. They then headed toward the bar.   
  
+++  
  
It had been a while since Roy had set foot inside the bar, but the place hadn’t changed one bit. The low lighting gave the room a late afternoon appearance. There was nothing much inside but the bar and several chairs lined up in front of it. Like incense, smoke and liquor filled his nostrils, and overwhelmed him with a sense of nostalgia.  
  
“For a bar, this looks very homey,” Riza commented, a slight chuckle escaping from her.   
  
“It is, in a way.”   
  
A sudden noise startled the couple. They turned and saw a large figured lady coming down the stairs. Her maroon dress showed some cleavage, which made Roy uncomfortable whenever the Madame wore it. Chris gazed at him and smiled, then took a drag on the cigarette she held between her lips.  
  
“Well, well, Roy-boy. It’s been a while.” She approached Roy and they embraced.   
  
“Indeed, Madame Christmas,” Roy said, smiling back. ‘I came by today to have you meet a person very dear to my heart, Riza Hawkeye.”   
  
The lady took a quick glimpse of Riza and a warm smile stretched her lips. “Oh, so I finally get to meet her?” After shaking Riza’s hand, she said, “Roy has told me many wonderful things about you! Please, have a seat, both of you.”  
  
Everyone was silent as Madame Christmas rounded the bar and Roy and Riza sat down. The older woman propped her elbow on the counter and looked at the couple with great interest.   
  
“So tell me, Riza, what attracts you to my Roy-boy?”  
  
Roy could tell from Riza’s flushed expression that she was shy talking about it. Being supportive, he slid his hand onto hers and it rested there.   
  
“Actually, I first fell in love with him after my father’s funeral. He told me how he wanted to use his alchemy to make the world a better place. I believed in his dream, so I joined the military to do the same.”  
  
The Madame gave Riza a satisfied smile. “I see. It’s great that someone else believed in his dream.”  
  
A warm glow filled Roy’s heart. He was sad that it was his fault Riza took the same path as him, and also that he had broken her trust. It was still amazing, though, that she was still by his side after everything that had happened.  
  
“So, Roy told me that you’re both his foster mother and aunt, and also that he has many  _sisters_. Care to elaborate?” Riza asked after. Roy flinched, not liking how she emphasized “sisters”. That also reminded him—where were they?  
  
Chris let loose a loud laugh. “If you’re worrying about the girls barging in, no need to panic. It’s their night off.” She stopped for a moment to face Riza. “And to answer your question, yes, I’m also his aunt, his father being my older brother. I assumed he told you about how his parents died in a car crash, right?” Roy glanced at Riza, who was nodding. “Well, I became his guardian and took care of him ever since. “As for his ‘sisters’, they stay here and do undercover work for me.”   
  
“Undercover?” Riza said, blinking.  
  
“Managing this bar isn’t the only thing she does,” Roy explained, smirking. “She’s also quite good with information gathering.”   
  
“I help Roy with whatever information he wants me to find. I also take assignments from other clients.”  
  
Riza still looked skeptical. “And you have your ‘girls’ help you with that?”  
  
The way she said it wasn’t of utter disgust, but Roy still felt Riza was somewhat uncomfortable about what she was hearing. It was already established this place wasn’t a brothel. He only hoped things wouldn’t go downhill from here.   
  
“I trained them on how to be secret informants. Some are good as undercover agents, while others do the research. Each one has their own special talents.”  
  
This time Riza’s lips stretched into a smile. “Oh, I see. That’s good to hear, then.” She paused for a moment, which made Roy assume she was considering what to ask next. “There’s another question I want to ask you. How do you know my father?”  
  
At first, Chris looked bemused, but then she grinned. “Oh, right, almost forgot your last name is Hawkeye.” She coughed softly before continuing. “Well, when he was a little kid, Roy-boy had great interest in fire alchemy. I don’t know where he found those books, aside from the fact how he found out about alchemy.”  
  
A chuckle escaped from Roy. He had never told his mother that he had first discovered alchemy after sorting through some of his parent’s unopened boxes one day. It was still a mystery to Roy whether the books had belonged to his parents, or if they were holding onto them for someone else. Nonetheless, it was how his interest in alchemy had been sparked.   
  
“Now, what’s so funny?” Roy’s foster mother said as she threw a glare at him, hands clamped into her ample hips. Riza’s facial expression was similar.   
  
“Nothing. You won’t believe me if I told you where I found those books.”   
  
“And you’re probably right.” Chris shot her son a playful smile, then looked back at Riza. “Anyway, I asked around Central if there’s a fire alchemist, and someone mentioned the name Berthold Hawkeye. I then sent Roy to your father’s estate to have Berthold be his teacher.”   
  
“Ah, that makes sense, then. My father is one of the very few alchemists around Amestris whose specialty is fire.”  
  
One glance at his mother made Roy’s stomach drop—that coy smile on his mother’s lips wasn’t sitting with him well. What was Chris thinking this time?  
  
“So I take it it wasn’t love at first sight, right?”  
  
Roy chuckled and shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. The first time we met, she thought I was homeless.”  
  
A shocked expression crossed Riza’s features. “I did not!”  
  
“You don’t remember? ‘Hello, Mr. Homeless Man? Are you lost’?”  
  
“Oh, right,” Riza said with a giggle, remembering now. “Well, you did show up dressed rather shabbily. I assumed you would have dressed better if you wanted to meet my father.”  
  
“Were you late meeting with your teacher when I told you to get up early and look your best?” Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
With what little dignity he had left, Roy lowered his head and his shoulders slumped. “Yes,” he mumbled.   
  
Chris and Riza’s laughter boomed throughout the entire bar, causing Roy to pout. Well, at least the two women were getting along, now.   
  
“You know, I have an idea that might liven up this conversation,” Chris announced suddenly. “Riza, why don’t we share a couple stories about Roy-boy?”  
  
Share stories about him? Roy swallowed hard; he didn’t like the new direction the conversation was heading in.   
  
“Madame Christmas, I don’t think that’s such a great—”  
  
“Oh, you mean like exchanging information with each other?” Riza asked, interrupting Roy. “Reveal something about Roy one of us might not know about?” There was a hint of interest in her voice.   
  
The Madame nodded and responded, “I’ll go first. Back when Roy-boy was a kid, we would listen to radio dramas almost every night and there was one that was a ghost story. I can’t remember what it’s about, probably has to do with someone being haunted. Anyways, that ghost story scared Roy so much he slept with me in my bed for a week.”  
  
“Really?” A smug grin pulled onto Riza’s lips. “I can’t imagine him being frightened very easily. He was the one that told his men that ghost stories are silly.”   
  
“And they are,” Roy jumped in, unwilling to admit that what his mother said was true. ‘He’d rather not recall that ghost story any time soon.   
  
“Okay, my turn.” Riza pondered for a moment, making Roy wish he knew what she was thinking. “On our first date, Roy was trying to be romantic by cooking a fantastic dinner for the two of us at his apartment. After dinner was finished, we went to his bedroom. In there, he had candles scattered around and began using his alchemy to light them up. I was very impressed…until the curtains burst into flames.”   
  
Chris cackled while Roy slapped his head in embarrassment. After that incident, he and Riza had agreed their next dates wouldn’t involve alchemy so something like that wouldn’t happen again.   
  
“Oh, I have one,” Chris said, her turn now. “Also back when he was a kid, Roy-boy had a stuffed teddy bear named Scotty and he would always carry it around with him. One day, though, while he was playing outside, a neighbor’s dog snatched the toy from him and ripped it to pieces. I wasn’t able to fix it because it was torn beyond repair. Roy was so devastated that he cried for days.  
  
When Roy heard Riza’s laugh, he grumbled to himself and wondered when these two would be finished with embarrassing him.   
  
“The first time I saw him cry was after we watched a movie together. It was a romance story about two people who had been in love for many years even though they took their own paths through life. When they met for the last time, the man was dying and he had told the woman that he would never stop loving her.”  
  
“Wait, I don’t remember crying after watching that movie!” Roy protested, arching an eyebrow.  
  
“Yes, you did. You told me that you wished they had never been separated, and that’s when I noticed the tear running down your face.   
  
“Sorry, Roy-boy,” Chris said, “but I’m going to have to believe Riza on this one. If you were scared of a silly ghost story, then you surely would cry over a romantic one.   
  
Roy groaned in frustration. “Oh great, now you two are conspiring against me?”  
  
“Maybe,” Riza said, poking playfully at Roy’s nose. “But you’re not supposed to know.”  
  
The Madame chuckled. “Besides, I’m going to have Riza meet your sisters and tell them more stories about you.”  
  
“You wouldn’t!” Roy said, eyes wide with fear.   
  
“I would be honored to tell Roy’s sisters more about him," Riza said to Chris. The women then shook hands in mock agreement.   
  
This time Roy restrained himself from becoming angry, but the annoyance never left his face. “Indeed, you ladies are conspiring against me.”  
  
Once more Chris and Riza laughed aloud, causing Roy to heave a heavy sigh; this was way too tiring.   
  
“Joking aside,” Chris said when she managed to calm herself down, “it seems if it weren’t for me, you two probably wouldn’t have met. I don’t know why, but I already think you two are meant for each other.”   
  
A smile of pride settled onto Roy’s lips. He took a quick glimpse at Riza to see that she, too, had a smile on her face. The thought crossed Roy’s mind that he wouldn’t mind if he and Riza, indeed, stayed together for the long run, even if it might be too early to ponder on the idea.  
  
“Maybe a mother’s instincts, Madame Christmas?”   
  
“Perhaps, Roy-boy. However, I do wish both of you much happiness,” she said, beaming.   
  
“Thank you,” Riza said then kissed Roy on the forehead. “I’m sure we will.”   
  
On an impulse, Roy glanced at the clock on the wall and his eyes shot wide open when he noticed it was almost midnight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Riza sharing the same look as she also glanced at the clock.  
  
“Well, I wish both of us could stay to chat with you more, but we have to get going. Our train back to East City leaves early tomorrow morning.”   
  
“I understand. I’m glad you guys could drop by. And Riza, it’s nice to have met you, and I hope we have the chance to talk again.” The Madame held out her hand for Riza to shake, which the younger woman accepted.   
  
“Same here,” Riza said before releasing Chris’s hand.  
  
He and Riza stood, waved goodbye to Chris, and were about to leave when—  
  
“Promise you’ll come back to visit! I expect you to be promoted and transferred to Central very soon.”  
  
Roy turned to offer his foster mother a determined smile. “Don’t worry, I will.”   
  
Chris returned his smile with a rough one of her own. “You better.” Roy waved at his mother one more time then led Riza out of the bar.   
  
While they walked back to the hotel, Riza once again cradled Roy’s arm in her own and rested her head on his shoulder. Roy couldn’t help but smile whenever they were close like this.  
  
“I think your first meeting with my mom went pretty well,” Roy commented.   
  
“Me too. She is indeed a fun lady to talk to,” Riza said. “We should visit Central more often.”   
  
“You just want her to tell you more embarrassing stories about me, don’t you?” He was only teasing, but there was a part of him that was afraid of that prospect.   
  
“I wouldn’t mind hearing some of those stories,” she replied, poking his nose. “But I’m glad I finally got to meet your mother. She should be proud she raised such a great son.”  
  
Riza’s words left Roy speechless, and he responded by giving her a quick kiss on the lips.   
  
This night had turned out better than expected, Roy thought. His two most favorite ladies had finally met one another and he was happy it had gone so well. Now Roy couldn’t wait until he was transferred to Central so that he (and Riza) could visit Madame Christmas more often.


End file.
